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Book Review: Lover Reborn (Black Dagger Brotherhood #10) by JR Ward

Summary:

In the darkest
corners of the night in Caldwell, New York, a conflict like no other
rages. The city is home to a band of brothers born to defend their race:
the warrior vampires of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Now back in the Brotherhood - and unrecognisable as the vampire
leader he once was - Tohrment is physically emaciated and heartbroken
beyond despair. When he begins to see his beloved in his dreams -
trapped in a cold, isolating netherworld - Tohr turns to a self-serving
fallen angel in hopes of saving the one he has lost. When he's told he
must learn to love another to free his former mate, Tohr knows they are
all doomed . . .

Except then a female with a shadowed history begins to get through
to him. Against the backdrop of the raging war with the lessers, and
with a new clan of vampires vying for the Blind King's throne, Tohr
struggles between the buried past, and a very hot, passion-filled future
. . . but can his heart let go and set all of them free?

Release Date: March 27, 2012

Age Group: Adult

Publisher: NAL

Source: Purchased

Review:
I have been following the Black Dagger Brotherhood books for years now, and I have to say that these books keep getting better and better. I was just in love with Lover Reborn, and tried to slow my reading pace to make the book last longer. And it was a big book: my Nook version was 601 pages. And I can honestly say that I would have happily read double that many pages, this book was that good!

I've always liked Tohr through the glimpses we've gotten of him in the other books but never really knew him. I like him even more now, even though there were times I just wanted to smack him for being so obtuse! His love and devotion to Wellesandra and their unborn child really endeared him to me, and I felt so badly for him. His loss was unimaginable, and Lover Reborn finds him trying to pick up the pieces.

One of my favorite things about the Black Dagger Brotherhood series is the interwoven stories. I love how each book features one Brother but each Brother and their respective mates are part of each story. I love seeing characters living out their happily ever afters, and this series provides that in spades. There are some HEAs we are still waiting on, though, namely Blay and Qhuinn. I just don't know how much longer I can wait for their story. I really, really want them to have their own book, but fear that Xcor or Throe's book will be next. There were a few scenes with Blay and Qhuinn, but they were few and far between and I was left wanting much, much, more of them together. Ward did throw me a bone there at the end, but it was such a tease that I am tempted to go read some fan fiction to satisfy my appetite for Blay and Qhuinn.

One of my complaints about the last couple of BDB books was that there was a lot of darkness: especially with the Omega and the lessers. I am so happy to report that Lover Reborn did not have such a dark, violent feel to it. Of course, there was still a lot of fighting and killing, but it didn't have such a sinister feel as Lover Mine.

What really stood out for me with Lover Reborn was the intricate plot and the pacing. The way Ward writes just makes me want to sit and read, read, read until the book is over. I found myself going hungry (I think I even missed one meal---gasp!) just to keep reading.

If you haven't read the BDB, start with book one: Dark Lover. And be advised that the series gets better and better as it goes. Be prepared for violence and sex (about on the level of an HBO series), but overall, be ready for some excellent books!